The word ‘entrepreneur’ originates from a thirteenth-century French verb, entreprendre, meaning ‘to do something’ or ‘to undertake’. By the sixteenth century, the noun form, entrepreneur, was being used to refer to someone who undertakes a business venture. The first academic use of the word by an economist was likely in 1730 by Richard Cantillon, who identified the willingness to bear the personal financial risk of a business venture as the defining characteristic of an entrepreneur.

However, merely owning a business doesn’t necessarily make you an entrepreneur. If it were so, a word so complicated to spell wouldn’t even exist.

Why not just call him/her ‘businessman’ or ‘businesswoman’. How hard is it? Google “entrepreneur” and you’ll find a textbook definition ‘an entrepreneur is a person who sets up a business or businesses, taking on financial risks in the hope of profit’. That is an understatement. Economists and some of the most successful entrepreneurs would disagree. Actually, I’m on their side. According to economist Joseph Alois Schumpeter (1883- 1950), entrepreneurs are not necessarily motivated by profit but regard it as a standard for measuring achievement or success. The famed father of modern management, Peter Drucker star-studs the definition by emphasizing ‘change’ and ‘opportunity’. He defines the entrepreneur as ‘someone who always searches for change, responds to it, and exploits it as an opportunity.’ Lets keep it that way. It had always been about bringing about a change, thinking out-of-the-box, innovating, and help fellow humans. If it was about money, a CEO hired by the founder is earning just as much, added to the company shares, allowances, perks and what not. Let’s not dwell in the definition centered around profit.

It takes guts, and sheer resilience to do the un-doable, suffer the losses, learn from mistakes and emerge a victor. If you have a business, and you are blessed with the opportunity to sail such troubled waters and still standing tall- welcome aboard. You are an entrepreneur.

This edition is a tribute to all such sharp minds and bravehearts who took a detour and established their own venture in their respective fields of expertise. I sincerely hope this list of 10 Best Tech Entrepreneurs in IT will tell a story of leadership and courage.

Do let us know what you think.